Christian music: no longer relegated to the margins

"In an otherwise dismal year for the radio and music industries, hammered by an advertising downturn and digital piracy, respectively, Christian tunes are the surprising high note. The music, once thought to be too preachy and Southern rural to draw significant audiences, accounts today for some of the best growth numbers in radio and music. Christian and gospel album sales rose 13.5% in 2001, to nearly $50 million, vs. a 3% decline for all of music, according to sales-tracker SoundScan Inc.

"The genre has been steadily gaining popularity over the years, but spiritual questions stirred up by September 11 are drawing waves of curious new listeners, say executives. 'People are looking for a worship experience that they're not finding by singing hymns in church,' says Malcolm L. Mimms, president of Word Entertainment, a Christian label Warner Music Group bought earlier this year for $84 million. Also appealing, at least to younger fans, is that artists no longer fit the stereotype of, say, a hypnotically cheery Pat Boone. Today, Christian crossover acts, such as the dreadlocked and tattooed P.O.D. (Payable on Death), with its heavy rock and rap sound, are among the big sellers....

"Success is also a result of hipper marketing and more sophisticated music production.... 'For years, Christian music had a stigma and couldn't get out of the box' says Ryan Dadd, a consultant to Christian music labels. 'These bands today, who look a lot cooler, are saying it's okay to search for faith.' "

Tom Lowry
"Religion Rocks—So Sayeth Investors"
Business Week
June 10, 2002

PASTOR STANDS UP FOR SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

" 'So why do I support the ruling that the Ten Commandments must be removed from the courthouse wall? The answer is simple. Separation of church and state is the only way to guarantee religious liberty. Religious persecution is a worldwide and ongoing threat. As a minister and a citizen, I am obligated to ensure that this does not happen in this country.

" 'Furthermore, both church and state can best flourish when they are separated. Just as the government does not have a right to regulate religious bodies, so too our public institutions should not be subjected to particular religious beliefs.' "

The Reverend Robert Coombe, pastor of the Union United Methodist Church in haverton, Pennsylvania
"Government-Supported Ten Commandments?: One Pastor Says, 'No!'"
The Philadelphia Inquirer
April 5, 2002

Creative projects for local businesses

"It may seem that there's little to celebrate on Main Street these days as hometown businesses lose out to chain stores, catalog shopping, e-commerce, and other out-of-town businesses. But flying beneath the radar of conventional economic wisdom are dozens of innovative efforts to boost the prospects of locally owned and civic-minded businesses. These projects take many forms, from direct challenges to big box outlets to ambitious plans for an alternative stock market, but together they offer a new economic vision. Focusing on socially conscious business principles and homegrown ingenuity, they offer hope that we can overcome current development trends that suck all the resources out of our local communities and despoil the environment.

"The Business Alliance for Local Living Economics (BALLE) operates nationally, regionally, and locally in its mission to build'a living economy'—one that 'works in harmony with natural systems, supports both biological and cultural diversity, and fosters fulfilling and enjoyable community life for all peoples.' Seventeen regional 'nodes' created to serve local businesses with information, education, local sourcing, and other services have sprouted since a February 2002 organizing meeting."

Craig Cox
"Not Business as Usual"
Utne Reader
July-August 2002

America can learn from newcomers

"After September 11, we are all refugees from what was once our America. We have been exiled from a country that felt safe and calm and now live in a new country filled with fear. We can learn from the many newcomers among us how to deal with our fears and sorrows. Our newcomers have experienced panic, loss, disruption, and vulnerability. They have learned to cope with catastrophes, and they can teach us how to survive these things.

"We need more than ever what I call 'the attributes of resiliency.' We all want and need what refugees want and need in order to heal. We yearn for family and friends, meaning, calmness, routines, useful work, and spiritual solace....

"Refugees have much to teach us, especially in these times. The great lesson of September 11 is that we are all connected. Either we all are safe, or none of us is safe. Either we are all free of fear, or none of us is. Right now we have a window of opportunity to rethink our policies and to deal with the world differently, more fairly and compassionately. These events can lead to a national renewal of energy and compassion, as well as to what [author] Gay Talese called 'an enlargement of our capacity to be human.' "

Mary Pipher, Ph.D.
"New Beginnings"
Hope Magazine
May/June 2002
©2002 by Mary Pipher
Reprinted by permission of Harcourt, Inc.